Pilot: Passengers Should Know Flight Basics

Two back-to-back eastern Idaho plane crashes over the weekend, is there anything a passenger could do to prevent disaster?

“I make sure that they know at least a little bit of basics, how to use the radios,” said pilot Kevin Keegan on Sunday.

Keegan talked to us by phone from Pocatello after a morning in the air.

“Most recreational flyers are fair-weather flyers, so they’re going to be more people flying when it’s nice out,” said Keegan.

With more folks flying, and more passengers sitting in that co-pilot chair, there is relatively more danger. In Madison County on Friday, it was minor injuries for two flyers after their single-engine Cessna lost power. Pilot Alan Jay Webb made an emergency landing outside Rexburg.

Then on Saturday, another crash, the pilot and passenger of this small plane walked away after it tipped over on the runway.

“We use our rudder pedals to steer on the ground, if he over-corrects for that, what happens is the airplane spins around on the ground,” he said.

Keegan said tip-overs like Saturday’s are common with rear-landing gear aircraft. But pilots are rarely on the ground. In Kansas, three small plane passengers are dead and two are in critical condition after their plane slammed into the ground on Saturday.

Keegan said there are a million different scenarios that can cause a plane to go down. He said passengers should be prepared before boarding.

“A lot of people who are spouses or family members of pilots actually take what are called pinch-hitter courses,” he said.

He said quick courses on basic flight technique and radio use can be the difference between a passenger who can react in case of emergency, and one who can’t.

“Teach just basically how to fly the airplane and sometimes how to land,” he said.

Keegan said an increased number of incidents will probably have to do with the warmer weather. He said flying is still much safer than driving a car.